Max Sciandri will leave BMC and direct from the Movistar team car from 2019 onwards. The British-Italian former pro has worked as directeur sportif at Jim Ochowicz's team since 2011 but will move on as the team prepares to start a new chapter under a merger with CCC Sprandri Polkowice.

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Sciandri will become the fifth directeur sportif at Movistar, adding diversity to the Spanish team's current line-up.

José Vicente García Acosta and Pablo Lastras both spent their whole racing careers at the team before joining as directeurs sportifs in their retirement, while José Luis Jaimerena has been involved with the team since his only pro season in 1983. Jose Luis Arrieta is the only one who has worked outside of the team, having ridden for AG2R La Mondiale for five seasons at the end of his career.

Sciandri, who won stages at the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, retired from racing in 2004. He began working for British Cycling and was instrumental in establishing the Under-23 Academy, which helped develop many of the British talents now riding in the pro peloton.

Having ridden for Ochowicz at Motorola in the 1990s, he joined BMC Racing in 2011 as assistant sports director with a focus on developing the team's younger riders and identifying future talent.

Sciandri became one of the team's senior directors and was heavily linked with the job of head coach of the Italian national team, but turned down what he described as "the opportunity of a lifetime" in 2013.

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